Railway-car



(No Model.)

P. D. WHITEHEAD.

RAILWAY GAR.

No. 417,126. Patented Dec. 10, 1889 Nv PETERs. Pholmulhognphw. Washington, D. C,

and useful Improvement in Railway-Cars, of

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC PERCIVAL I). W'IIITEIIEAD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,126, dated December 10, 1889.

Application filed August 24, 1889.

T0 to whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERCIVAL D. WHITE- HEAD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, Illinois, have invented a new which the following is a specification. The invention relates to that class of freightcars known as open or gondola cars, such as are used to carry coal from point to point. Of course they can be and are used to carry other things than coal, but I will in the following description set forth the use of my improvement on a coal car. For the transportation of coal these open cars are preferable to box ears, being much more easily loaded Without breaking up the coal; but in the open cars the coal is exposed to the weather and to the risk of theft, and on long journeys a large part of a car-load is often missing atthe end, having been carried oif while on the road. To prevent this loss and to provide an effective means of protecting the coal or other contents of the cars is the purpose of my invention; and it consists in the features and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a railway-car containing my improvements, and Fig. 2 a vertical cross-section of the same on an enlarged scale and showing the parts in a different position.

A is the car; B B, the sliding doors; 0 C, rods attached to the sides of the car; D D, loops on the doors; It, an adjustable beam or support, and F I! sockets to support such beam.

The cars provided with my improvement are to be made substantially like those in use at the present time and need no description. The ends of the cars are not left fiat or horizontal, as formerly, but are inclined upward from each side to the center, affording two inclined surfaces, as shown in Fig. 2. At one or more points along each side of the car, on the inside and near the top thereof, I fasten metallic sockets or brackets F F. These brackets are placed in pairs opposite each other, and while I prefer to use a single pair placed opposite each other substantially at the middle of the car, and have shown this construct-ion in the drawings, this is not an Serial No. 321.873. (N0 model.)

essential matter, but may be varied as circumstances require, any number of pairs of sockets being used. These sockets are intended to support a beam E, of wood, iron, or any suitable material, constructed prefer ably as shown in Fig. 2, where it is flat on its under side, and on its upper side inclines upward from each end toward the center, so as to form two inclines in the same plane as 'the inclines of the end of the car.

I next make, preferably of wood, (though plain or corrugated iron may be used,) the sliding doors or covers B I3. There are two pairs of these doors shown in the drawings, each pair covering substantially one-half of the car, though there may be more than two pairs, if preferred. They are made of moderately-heavy planking and rest and slide upon the ends of the ear and the beam E. They should be made wide enough to cover the car completely wheirin place, and are provided with a padlock or other suitable means for securely fastening them;

Along each side of the car and near the top thereof I run the rods C O, passing through and supported by the posts G G. These rods are made of any suitable metal and should be strong enough to support the weight of the doors. To connect these rods with the doors, Iprovide the latter with loops D D. These are metallic rods fastened to the upper side of the doors near theedge, then bent and passing alon at a little distance from the under side of the doors, then bent upward and fastened again to the edge of the door at a point substantially opposite the first fastening. I have shown four of these loops on each door, but not with the intention of limiting myself to any such number, as there may be more or less than four, the only requisite being that there be enough of them to support the door. The loops D are passed around the rods C and the device is complete. hen loading, the doors are brought into the position shown at the right hand of Figs. 1 and 2, hanging from the rods 0, and the beam E is removed from its sockets. The car is then filled with coal, after which the beam is replaced and the doors slid up the inclined edges of the beam and the ear ends until they meet, when they are locked together. In this position the doors are held by the padlock at one edge and by the rod C and the loops or yokes D at the other, as shown at the left hand of Fig. l. \Vhen it is desired to open the car, all that is necessary is to unlock the doors and slide them down sidewise until they hang by the sides of the car supported by the rods C. They are then out of the Way, yet ready to be used at once, if required. Owing to the permanent connection between the rods and doors the latter cannot fall off or be lost. By this meansI provide a simple, cheap, and easily-operated cover for open cars which will not interfere with the loading or unloading, and will prevent all stealing from the cars While on the road, thus insuring the delivery of a full car at the end of the journey. Any of the ordinary car-seals may,if desired, be used with these doors. Beingmade strongly, the doors afford a firm platform for the brakemen to walk over in passing along the train from car to car.

I have shown one form in which my invention may be applied; but it is evident that changes might be made in the device Without v departing from the spirit of the invention. f

For instance, corrugated iron doors might be used, or the doors could be hinged to the sides of the car and be turned over onto the beam E and the car ends or back against the side of the car and similar changes could be made;

but all the time the gist of the invention,

which consists in providing an open or gondola car with doors to prevent loss of the contents of the car, would be employed.

I claim 1. The combination of the car-bod y having rods attached to the sides thereof and one or more sliding doors provided with loops for connecting them to the rods and adapted to cover the top of the ear, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the car-bod y A, rods C 0, attached thereto, one or more pairs of sliding doors 1% 13, connected to the rods by loops D D, and one or more adjustable beams E forsupporting such doors, substantially as described.

PERCIVAL D. \VHITEHEAD.

Witnesses:

GEORGE S. PAYSON, SAMUEL E. HIBBEN. 

